5 of the best heavyweight fights in MMA history

Some of the best heavyweight battles throughout the history of MMA.

There is a good reason people’s interests get piqued when they hear about a heavyweight MMA fight coming up. The thoughts that such a fight can’t possibly go the distance, meaning there’s a good chance of a highlight finish. Whether there’s a finish or not, it could possibly be an all-out slugfest with hammering blows and both fighters looking to establish dominance.

Or it could be an absolutely boring affair. But don’t worry; the fights about to be mentioned in this piece are anything but boring.

Here are five of the greatest heavyweight fights in MMA history

As a heavyweight, you’re looking to be called “the baddest man on the planet”, and there’s a reason for that. Traditionally, heavyweights are considered to have to go toe-to-toe with some of the scariest and most powerful fighters in the world. And in a division where the cliche of one blow changing the course of the fight is more emphasized than ever, legacies can be made and broken rather quickly.

In the following list, not every fighter has been able to claim a championship — and not every fighter may have the greatest of legacies. But whether it was because of an insane knockout, a back-and-forth battle or an insane comeback, these fights will go down as some of the best between two heavyweights in MMA history.

Now there was only room for five fights on this list, and not every MMA fan’s tastes are the same. Some prefer their favorite fights to be highlighted by a finish, others prefer a more technical war. So for the sake of not trying to besmirch any other classic heavyweights, here are some honorable mentions:

• Randy Couture vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (aka “Big Nog”) — UFC 102
• Don Frye vs. Yoshihiro Takayama — PRIDE 21
• Daniel Cormier vs. Stipe Miocic 2 — UFC 241
• Randy Couture vs. Pedro Rizzo 1 — UFC 31
• Andrei Arlovski vs. Travis Browne — UFC 187

Now with that out of the way (and hopefully this writer has been cleared off any wanted lists already for choices), here are five of the greatest heavyweight fights we’ve ever seen in MMA.